Chapter 74
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 74
Chapter Title The Eldest Son is Desperate for Soccer
The match had begun.
Barcelona, once hailed by all as the worlds strongest team, was no longer that powerhouse, but a prestigious club was still a prestigious club.
True to its roots, it was pressing Newcastle tightly and meticulously.
Newcastle cant advance the ball forward against Barcelona.
Newcastle is moving cautiously without forcing anything.
That said, they couldnt afford to let the game drag on indefinitely like this.
Judging as much, Menéndez began pushing forward little by little.
To stop him, Barcelona players formed a triangular shape every time Menéndez got the ball, tightening the noose around him.
Menéndez called for Boxall and shook off the player blocking his path with a onetwo pass.
Escaping pressure through passes was one of Menéndezs specialties.
Moreover, the opponent was Barcelona.
For him, who had grown up in Real Madrids La Fábrica, they were all too familiar.
The Barca guys have dropped in level.
Sneering at the subpar players from his traditional rivals, he sent the ball forward.
The space created by shaking off one player.
That was enough.
From there on, the monstrous kid would handle the rest.
Menéndez passes to Yoon Taeyang!
Barcelona pressing in on Yoon Taeyang! With a defender sticking to his back, Taeyang moves to the left... and theyre blocking it... Oh!
As Taeyang seemed to turn left, Barcelonas defensive midfielder Ugarte leaned in to block the path.
In that instant, Taeyang tapped the ball up with his left foot from underneath, flicking it over his head.
......!
The ball floated up, but now it was gone.
While Ugarte tilted left and looked back, Taeyang spun right, caught the dropping ball, and charged forward.
Now, only the defensive line remained.
Dealing with them was even easier.
Mateo Silva showed movement toward the inside, dragging the centerback marking him along.
The halfspace between the fullback and centerback opened up wide.
Taeyang dashed toward it.
Before the fullback could close in desperately, he penetrated the space. The centerback Enzo, who had been marking Silva and belatedly realized hed been pulled, stopped and positioned himself between Silva and Taeyang, blocking the path to goal.
Enzos partner, Garcia, left Illinyu to fullback Balde and occupied the space inside the penalty area. Silva approached Taeyang, and Taeyang hesitated, drifting left.
Blocked.
The moment they thought all paths were sealed.
Taeyang burst straight forward.
As all eyes focused on Taeyang with the ball.
He quickly passed it backward.
The receiver was Menéndez, who had surged up.
Menéndez into the small space opened by Taeyang, Silva, and Illinyu.
He blasted the ball with all his might into that gap.
Whoooosh! Goal! Goooal!
Its a goal! Goal!
Newcastle United takes the lead at Camp Nou!
The scorer of the opener is Menéndez!
Even back in his Real Madrid days, Menéndez always shone extra bright against Barcelona, right?
Menéndez clenched his fist and roared.
Camp Nou showered him with boos.
From Barças perspective, he was bound to be an irritating player.
The match resumes. Barcelona calmly exchanges passes, assessing the situation.
Having scored, Newcastle pressed Barcelona even more aggressively.
Newcastles pressure is fierce, but Barcelonas passes are flowing smoothly.
Thats it. This is what makes Barcelona scary. Despite evaluations that their individual skills lag behind Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid even in La Liga, the reason they keep challenging Real until the end for the title is right here.
Whats that?
Passes. They build the game on passwork honed through relentless training rather than individual flair. They connect passes relentlessly across the pitch, front and back, in tight spaces with multiple plans to avoid interception.
If you had to pick one team that played like a single precision machine, it was undoubtedly Barcelona.
They moved by anticipating every possibility, positioning players and passes accordinglythat was the current Barcelona.
The club no longer had expensive stars due to financial woes, but it maintained an excellent coaching staff and system inherited from past generations, making it possible.
Precisely, quickly, in tight spaces.
Exchanging passes like a machine before players could react, Barcelona swiftly entered Newcastles defensive third.
Barcelona! Bandi penetrates the halfspace. Sanchez blocks! Bandi passes to Pedri cutting in from the side! Pedri goes behind Sanchez!
Unable to stop Pedri slipping behind, Arnold stepped up to block his path.
Pedri didnt force a breakthrough and passed to Sergeev ahead of Arnold.
Sergeev, receiving the ball, slipped it between Arnold and Jennas.
Cortes received it.
The young Uruguayan striker Cortes didnt hesitate against Richella and fired a low, fast shot.
Goal! The equalizer!
Barcelona methodically builds up and catches the score!
It looks like the first half will end like this!
As the commentator said, right after the ball was kicked off from the halfway line with the whistle, the ref blew to end the first half.
Back in my previous life when I played in La Liga, Barcelona was overcoming its current financial struggles and soaring again.
It was the era when they produced worldclass talents from La Masia and signed top stars like Messi and Neymar, trading titles with Real Madrid.
Even then, they played this machinelike style, accounting for every scenario.
It meant this system would continue straight into the future.
The only difference was that highercaliber players executed it now, and a worldclass finisher moved freely like a free role, adding creativity regardless of tactics.
Anyway, thinking back, the current Barcelona was beatable.
The pity was that our team was still a ragtag bunch, not quite ready to handle Barcelonas perfect teamwork.
This was when I missed Didas prime.
With Arnold and Dida, who had synced over years, that goal conceded might not have happened.
Whatre you thinking so hard about?
Lost in thought, Silva approached with a banana.
How to cook Barcelona? Something like that?
We can figure that out on the pitch. Eat your banana and listen to the coach, kid.
Yes, Grandpa.
Arent you going too far with the Grandpa bit?
Silva laughed cheekily, still seeming relaxed.
His knee must be fine.
What about Illinyu?
This is good.
The madman was devouring a whole bunch of bananas.
Hey, ease up!
Bananas are good. Especially tasty today.
Sigh.
Illinyu was a big eater who devoured anything.
If he kept this up after retirement, hed turn into a pig, right?
Wait, did he actually?
As I stopped Illinyu from finishing the bunch and reaching for apples, coach Artelli instructed us to go more attacking, and we headed back to the pitch for the second half.
Ah, I wanted that apple.
Eat like that and you wont puke while running?
Illinyu runs better after eating.
Man, the more I see him, the less sense he makes.
The second half kicked off, with Newcastle narrowing gaps for intense pressure, while Barcelona escaped with quick passes to advance the ball.
When Newcastle attacked, Barcelona dropped their line, tightened intervals to the extreme, and fortified the goal area.
They seemed more wary of Taeyangs dribbling than Newcastles passing play.
That made sensemost of Newcastles attacks this season stemmed from that dribbling power.
But they overlooked something Newcastle was better at passing games than they thought.
And Taeyang was even better at passing than they imagined.
With no space and Barcelona players blocking every lane, Taeyang didnt force dribbles.
He immediately sent the ball wide upon receiving it, turning Sanchez and Bandia into wingers pushing forward.
It would consume their stamina massively, but it started opening things up.
Bandia! Gets the ball on the flank and whips an early cross to the front!
Both teams players contest for the header!
Illinyu was close to a complete striker.
With excellent dribbling, animal instinct for breaking lines, he threw himself into physical battles without hesitation.
Beating him there wasnt easy.
Even with two players on him, Illinyu leaped high without yielding, thrusting his head in.
His header was as precise as his left foot.
A slight flick redirected it to the corner the keeper couldnt reach.
Bouncing once off the ground, it crossed the line.
Goal! Illinyus header!
Barcelonas defense couldnt match Illinyus power!
At the 18th minute of the second half, with the lead restored, Barcelona made a sub.
Ansu Fati.
The veteran still called Barcelonas best entered the pitch.
Bandi out, Ansu Fati in. He wasnt starting due to recent injury recovery. Can he turn the game around? Exciting.
33yearold veteran, but still topclass.
If youre worried about Ansu Fatis age, Newcastle has even older vets playing.
Silva whistled at Ansu Fati stepping onto the field.
Ah, the Ansu Fati that our old man envies is coming in.
What envy, you punk!
No? You seem jealous.
No, not quite envy.
Then what?
Looked easy at first, but turns out hes a wall I could never climb?
At Silvas words, Taeyang eyed Ansu Fati.
Hyped as the next Messi, he hadnt reached half that height, but he consistently scored 15 in the league.
When did he retire?
No, more importantly, could they stop him?
Taeyang glanced worriedly at the defense.
Sure enough.
Goal! Ansu Fati scores just 4 minutes after subbing in!
That position, that finish! Ansu Fati is Ansu Fati!
His movement slicing the line in Barcelonas machinelike buildup was concise, and the finish perfect.
Back to level terms.
In the continuing play, Ansu Fati seized the momentum, quickly advancing, stealing Bandias ball, drawing defenders from flank to center, then threading a sharp pass to Sergeev.
Sergeev, evading Arnolds gaze, took Fatis pass and shot for another goal.
Subs are crucial! Ansu Fati with 1 goal and 1 assist in 8 minutes off the bench leads Barcelona to the lead!